EU prepared for worst-case scenario of no deal with UK – German minister

European Commission’s Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom Michel Barnier, right, speaks with Minister of State for Europe at the German Federal Foreign Office Michael Roth, left, and European Commissioner for Inter-institutional Relations and Foresight Maros Sefcovic during a meeting of EU General Affairs ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool)

Talks between the UK and the European Union on a post-Brexit trade agreement are at a critical stage and the bloc is prepared for the “worst-case” no-deal scenario, a senior German minister has said.

Michael Roth, Angela Merkel’s Europe minister, said time was running out to conclude a deal and suggested the UK would have to give further ground on fishing rights, “level playing field” arrangements such as state subsidies, and the way any deal would be governed.